1. Write a list of events that led up to the launch of the First Crusade according to Gibbon.
2. Summarise Gibbon's position on the "just" Christian war.
3. Explain the various and varying motives of the crusaders according to Gibbon.
4. In what ways is Gibbon careful about his language and expression?
5. Does Gibbon appeal to you as a writer? As an historian? Why?
6. Are his footnotes helpful?
7. How does Gibbon divide & construct the information?
Origins and Motivations of the Crusaders
Who went on Crusade?
Why did they go on Crusade?
Learning Activity:
Read the following chapter from Edward Gibbon's The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Chapter 58: Origins and Numbers of the First Crusade
http://www.ccel.org/g/gibbon/decline/volume2/chap58.htm#First
1. Write a list of events that led up to the launch of the First Crusade according to Gibbon.
2. Summarise Gibbon's position on the "just" Christian war.
3. Explain the various and varying motives of the crusaders according to Gibbon.
4. In what ways is Gibbon careful about his language and expression?
5. Does Gibbon appeal to you as a writer? As an historian? Why?
6. Are his footnotes helpful?
7. How does Gibbon divide & construct the information?